SAILers singing on the bus on their way to Khon Kaen.

Tuesday July 13^th. All the SAILers, plus 11 professors from the National University of Laos and a few friends rented a bus to go to the Third International Conference on Lao Studies in Khon Kaen, Thailand. It was the first time for many of our SAILers to attend a Lao Studies conference.  I could tell that they were looking forward to meeting many of the Lao Studies scholars and to learning something new from the 140+ presenters. On the bus the SAILers were rehearsing two songs in front of a bus packed with eager listeners—Champa Muang Lao and Yen Sabay Xao Naa. They later sang the two songs at the CLS reception at the conference.

The next three days of the Lao Studies conference were full of speeches, presentations, film festival, receptions, and numerous activities. I am proud of all of our SAILers—Phouthasack, Toby, Akarath, and Ryan. They have done a wonderful job representing themselves, their community, and the SAIL program.

My trip back to Laos, even though shorter than usual, has been very meaningful and fulfilling. I cannot wait to come back home again when I visit the 2011 SAILers next year.

SAILers practicing singing "Champa Muang Lao" with their language teachers at the Lao-American College.

On July 12th I visited our SAILers during their Lao language class. I got a chance to observe the instructor’s teaching techniques and their interactions with the students. After class I spent one on one time with each instructor by giving them the opportunity to evaluate each student and also for me to share with them the students’ feedbacks. The professors genuinely wanted what’s best for the students and that they were willing to follow recommendations for improvement. As the SAIL program progress I cannot help but feel that it will only get better with each year.

In the evening I had a one on one meeting with each SAILer. It was an opportunity for them to give feedback about the SAIL program. There were a few minor suggestions here and there, but overall the SAILers were satisfied with their overall experience and were enjoying their stay in Laos.

Spending time with the SAILers at the Nam Ngum Dam.

On July 10^th I went to visit the SAILers in Vientiane. It has been four weeks since I sent them off at the airport in San Francisco. Even though I have been reading their blogs and communicating with their Lao language teachers, the Lao-American College staff, and the SAIL Program Leader on a regular basis, I just had to visit the students for myself.

As soon as I landed, Mr. Xuan, our SAIL Program Leader was there to greet me at the terminal. We went to a Pho restaurant for lunch at Ban Phone Keng, which was one of the best I had for awhile. At the Somneuk Guest House, where the SAILers have been staying since their arrival, I was greeted by Ryan, Akarath and Toby. Phouthasack later joined the rest of the group for our first meeting. It was so nice to see them again.

During the meeting Phouthasack was concerned about the lack of his “Laoness.” Many Lao often mistook him for a foreigner due to his appearance and his Lao language proficiency. However, as I observed Phouthasack during the next few days, both inside and outside of the classroom, I’ve noticed that his Lao has actually improved a great deal. He is now able to read and write. His vocabulary has improved and he is able to carry a conversation in Lao with the local people. I could see how it could be frustrating for a person like Phouthasack, who wants to be Lao, and not be recognized as one by the local people.  I have been visiting Laos off and on since 1994 and even though I feel this is my home, I still have a hard time convincing some people that I AM LAO. This will take time and the SAIL program is only the beginning of the journey for the SAILers.

Ryan’s Lao, our only none Lao American SAILer, has also improved tremendously. I was shocked to hear Ryan speak Lao so clear and precise in such a short period of time. Ryan and Phouthasack were in the same class and according to their language teacher, Achaan Bounmy, they have been focusing most of their time on reading and writing and it showed. Ryan was volunteering at the National Library and learning the Tham Script every morning. He was planning to take Khene lessons. I jokingly told him that he should play for us at the next Lao Studies conference in 2013.

Akarath and Toby were in the intermediate class with Achaan Hommala. Akarath already spoke some Lao before the SAIL program, but wanted to improve his reading, writing, and vocabulary. He also wanted to be able to give a presentation in Lao on his current research. Achaan Hommala was working closely with him to ensure that he would be able to accomplish his goal by the end of the SAIL program. He was volunteering at a children center where he taught English to a group of disadvantaged elementary students. I am proud of him for doing something meaningful for the Lao community and for the Lao children. In his spear time he played basketball with the other SAILers and the Lao-American College students.

Toby is the only female student of the group. She is passionate about helping Lao girls and women in education. In her SAIL application Toby wrote about wanting to set up a scholarship program for Lao girls to attend school. She was getting closer to her dream by volunteering at the Donkoi Children Center and at the same time finding ways to make this possible. Her Lao has also improved a great deal. She admitted that the Lao script is hard to master. Nevertheless she has been trying very hard and judging from her classroom reading the other day, I thought she read Lao perfectly. I kept reminding them not to be so hard of themselves. They have certainly made me proud.

In the evening of July 10^th, all the SAILers, the Program Leader, and the three SAIL professors met for dinner at a local restaurant, Tam Nak Lao. It was wonderful to see all the people who are involved in the SAIL program to sit together in one table enjoying Lao food.